Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1283

The car moved quietly down the road.

The exhaust sound seemed louder than usual.

Kang Jin-ho quickly realized it was because the inside of the car was so quiet.

He subtly glanced at Choi Yeon-ha, who was sitting next to him, to check her expression.

Choi Yeon-ha’s face was as stiff as a stone statue. Kang Jin-ho quickly looked forward again.

‘It’s subtle.’

Kang Jin-ho could usually gauge her mood just by looking at her face. But even for him, it was hard to tell what she was thinking right now.

He even tried to use his senses, but analyzing a complex woman’s heart with his crude martial arts was still a difficult task.

“Jin-ho.”

“Yes!”

Choi Yeon-ha slightly turned her head towards Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho was a little flustered when he saw her face. Her eyes looked somewhat moist, unlike usual.

“Does my father dislike me?”

Kang Jin-ho’s mind raced.

He had to find the best answer to defuse this situation.

“N-no way.”

But a stone is just a stone no matter how much you roll it. Just because it spins furiously doesn’t mean it will turn into a diamond.

“Haa…”

Choi Yeon-ha covered her face with both hands and slightly lowered her head.

Kang Jin-ho’s heart clenched at the sight, and he desperately opened his slightly trembling lips.

“N-no, it’s not like that…”

“Ah… I’m so pissed off.”

At that moment, Choi Yeon-ha abruptly raised her head and lowered the window. A cold wind rushed in, causing her hair to flutter.

‘Ah…’

‘That’s more like it.’

For a moment, Kang Jin-ho had a moment of self-reflection, thinking that Choi Yeon-ha might be disappointed and sad.

Choi Yeon-ha wasn’t that kind of woman.

“Haa…”

Choi Yeon-ha fanned herself a few times and said, twitching her lips.

“No, if it were my younger sibling or a friend, I would try to handle it somehow! But my father is too strong!”

“Kang Jin-ho, what were you doing not managing my image! My father sees me as a strong-willed woman!”

It’s true though.

She’s acting like this right now.

But if you said everything you thought, the world would be full of evil and fear.

…Even if that wasn’t the case, he didn’t have the courage to say it.

“He was just joking.”

“It didn’t sound like a joke…”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had raised the car window again, leaned back on the seat with a slightly defeated expression.

For her, this situation was a trial she had never experienced before.

‘Oh my god, my father here…’

Choi Yeon-ha had always believed that there was nothing that could not be overcome with effort and perseverance. And she had actually lived that way.

But her boyfriend’s father was not someone she could deal with through effort or perseverance.

“We need a special measure.”

“…Yes?”

“I think this happened because my father and mother don’t know me well.”

“Since we’ve come this far, let’s just open up to the family. Please set a time. I’ll go and greet them…”

“Ah, no, wait a minute.”

Kang Jin-ho urgently stopped Choi Yeon-ha.

“Isn’t it too sudden?”

“This is an emergency!”

Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes lit up.

“How important is the first impression! Do you know how difficult it is to overcome a bad image once it’s set? In this industry, there are so many kids who retire without any fault just because they got a bad image.”

“Ah…”

It seemed a bit too sensitive.

Considering the world Choi Yeon-ha lived in, it was understandable that she was sensitive.

“So, it’s important to build a good image beforehand! If they ask about me, you probably just awkwardly smiled and brushed it off.”

Is there a camera installed at home?

Choi Yeon-ha was too accurate for it to be just a guess.

“So, don’t think carelessly that it will be resolved over time! Make a proper appointment!”

“…Didn’t you say you were going to China?”

“Ah!”

Choi Yeon-ha scratched her head vigorously.

Every day, a new side of her was revealed.

“Haa, that’s right. I’m going to China. The schedule is ambiguous.”

Choi Yeon-ha leaned back on the car seat again. Her eyes were unfocused. Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly as he watched her.

“It’s really not something to worry about. My father was just joking. Choi Yeon-ha happened to come in while he was joking. The situation got a bit tangled…”

“Every joke has a bone in it.”

Kang Jin-ho, feeling a chill in Choi Yeon-ha’s voice, gave up trying to persuade her any further.

If he went any further, the target might change to Kang Jin-ho.

“Hoo!”

Choi Yeon-ha took a deep breath.

“Don’t worry, Jin-ho.”

“Yes?”

What worry?

“I’m the one who turned around those crazy directors. If I go at it with all my heart, even my father won’t be able to withstand it!”

No, that’s not the point. Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

“Are you laughing?”

“Kang Jin-ho, you seem to think this is nothing…”

A fierce look appeared in Choi Yeon-ha’s eyes.

“The happiness that comes from relationships between people is not completed by the feelings of the people involved alone! If you can’t persuade the people around you, you’ll end up living with a burden in your heart.”

“Is it going that far?”

“What will you do if my father or mother opposes us?”

“Well…”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

Opposition?

He had never thought about it, so nothing came to mind.

“Why would they oppose us?”

It was hard for Kang Jin-ho to understand.

Even though Kang Jin-ho was Kang Yu-hwan’s son, Kang Yu-hwan did not decide Kang Jin-ho’s life. Kang Jin-ho’s life was something only Kang Jin-ho could choose.

Besides…

‘Is there a reason to oppose?’

Objectively speaking, could he find someone better than Choi Yeon-ha?

It wouldn’t be easy.

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

“It’s a bit strange for me to say this myself…”

“Yes?”

“My father will like you if he talks to you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a good person.” Choi Yeon-ha glared at him.

“You’ve been flattering me a lot lately.”

Kang Jin-ho fixed his gaze forward, and Choi Yeon-ha smiled lightly.

“Anyway, even if it wasn’t for this, I was planning to see them once. Even though times have changed, it’s not polite to know each other well and not show your face.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho also nodded.

That was also true.

If his parents didn’t know who Choi Yeon-ha was, there wouldn’t be a need to introduce her, but in a situation where they knew who she was, it was definitely awkward to live without meeting each other.

It might not be a bad idea to create an opportunity at this time.

“Let’s do it after I come back from China.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll be busy after you come back from China. You also have to go to the ski resort with the kids.”

“That’s right.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

It was a casual remark, but the children at the orphanage seemed to be greatly anticipating it. Since he had made them expect it, he had to take responsibility for that expectation.

“When did you say you were going to China?”

“Is it about a week left?”

“How long will it take?”

“The schedule is quite packed, so I think I’ll have to stay there for about a week. Setting aside the discussion for the next project, there are a few CF [Commercial Film] shoots.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

‘Is it okay?’

Something was bothering him.

If it were Hong Wang, it would be fine, but if it were Chai Ke-chang, he would have tried to monitor Kang Jin-ho’s every move. Considering Kang Jin-ho’s senses, he wouldn’t have done something stupid like infiltrating informants around him, but he would definitely be monitoring Kang Jin-ho in some way.

Then, Choi Yeon-ha should also be considered exposed to the Hong Wang faction.

Choi Yeon-ha had already been to China before, but the situation was very different now than it was then.

If he considered it coldly, the possibility of the Hong Wang faction targeting Choi Yeon-ha was…

‘Am I overthinking it?’

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

Hong Wang was a man who called himself a prestigious orthodox sect. [In this context, it refers to a traditional martial arts school or lineage.]

It didn’t seem like he would do something so petty as targeting the loved ones of his opponent. In the past, there were many hypocrites among the orthodox, but there were also many good people who steadfastly walked their own path.

In Kang Jin-ho’s view, Hong Wang belonged to the latter.

His goal of defeating his enemy was firm, but he was a man who knew how to choose the means to achieve his goal.

However…

‘The problem is Chai Ke-chang.’

Even if Hong Wang didn’t want it, Chai Ke-chang might do anything.

Excessive loyalty sometimes leads to wrong decisions. Chai Ke-chang was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty if it would help Hong Wang.

‘I need a plan.’

Kang Jin-ho sighed lowly.

He thought about telling her not to go to China, but that wouldn’t work. Choi Yeon-ha had her own life. Did Choi Yeon-ha have to give up her life because she met Kang Jin-ho?

That was something Kang Jin-ho didn’t want at all.

In the end, he had no choice but to protect her in some way without Choi Yeon-ha noticing.

‘It won’t be easy, though.’

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

After returning to this world, there was a time when China felt more familiar than Korea. Even though he was aware that he was Korean, there was a familiarity that came from the land he had lived in all his life.

But now, when he thought of China, he felt more discomfort than familiarity.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Um, it’s nothing.”

Kang Jin-ho shook his head, and Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“I need to prepare more thoroughly this time. I suffered so much in China last time.”

Kang Jin-ho and Choi Yeon-ha both smiled wryly.

Indeed, Choi Yeon-ha had suffered terribly when she went to China last time. If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t arrived in time, Choi Yeon-ha could have been in great danger.

‘I need to prepare thoroughly.’

As he was thinking about how to protect Choi Yeon-ha, Kang Jin-ho’s cell phone rang.

“Hmm?”

Kang Jin-ho, who had confirmed the name Lee Hyun-soo on the screen, picked up the phone and put it to his ear without much thought.

“Why?”

“[Clan Lord.]”

Kang Jin-ho’s face slightly hardened.

Lee Hyun-soo’s voice was a little different from usual. It was the voice he used when something had happened.

“What’s wrong?”

“[It’s difficult to explain over the phone. It seems you need to come to the Assembly.]”

“I’ll be there soon.”

“[Yes.]”

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and sighed.

Then, he glanced at Choi Yeon-ha.

“That…”

“The restaurant we booked, or the movie we were going to see tonight?”

“Or the date that seemed fun?”

Choi Yeon-ha shrugged.

“That’s something we can do tomorrow or the day after. Go, Jin-ho. People have value when someone is looking for them.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled.

She was someone who knew how to make people feel comfortable.

“But remember one thing. I also looked for Kang Jin-ho today. Since you rejected me today, you have to play with me more next time.”

“Of course.”

Kang Jin-ho stepped on the accelerator and smoothly turned the steering wheel towards Choi Yeon-ha’s house.